American football’s NFL and sportswear giant NIKE have extended their major uniform supply partnership through a 10-year deal unveiled yesterday.
Nike will continue as the 32-team league’s exclusive supplier of uniforms, as well as of base layer, sideline, and practice apparel, through 2038. It has held those designations for the last 12 years.
The NFL has said the new agreement entails Nike supplying “cutting-edge, high-performance, products that adapt to the evolving demands of the game’s elite athletes.”
The primary key initiative of the deal, as listed by the NFL, is global expansion, with the pair set to collaborate around growing the league’s global reach, as well as “increasing participation, developing new talent, and expanding the football fan base."
The first deal between the two parties, valued by GlobalData Sport as worth $80 million per year, came into effect in 2012.
The last renewal, meanwhile, covers the 2020-21 to 2027-28 cycle, with GDS valuing that at a significantly-increased figure of $200 million per season. That means this new deal is a decade-long renewal.
Roger Goodell, commissioner of the NFL, has said: “In addition to their products and services for our clubs, players, or fans, Nike is a strategic partner who will help us grow football internationally, support youth football and make advances in player safety. The renewal of this partnership will truly have a lasting impact on the game of football at all levels both here in the United States and around the world.”
The NFL’s international expansion will see the league play games in London (x3), Madrid, and Berlin next year. The Madrid and Berlin events will mark the first time the NFL visits those two capitals for games.
In 2024, meanwhile, five international games (London x3, Sao Paulo, and Munich) have taken place.
Elliott Hill, Nike’s president and chief executive, added: “As we embark on this new chapter, we're committed to co-creating cutting-edge solutions that meet the rapidly changing needs of NFL athletes and fans, while fueling the league's growth and development initiatives.”
Elsewhere in major US sports leagues, Nike is also the uniform and apparel supplier for basketball’s NBA, and Major League Baseball, while Fanatics holds that designation for ice hockey’s NHL.
In terms of recent, significant, Nike deals, late last week the sportswear heavyweight unveiled a 12-year renewal with Brazilian soccer’s CBF governing body, also through 2038.
